The Hot Wing King

Darnell Pierre Benjamin is grateful for the opportunity to direct at Human Race Theatre Company. They are a multidisciplinary movement specialist, professor, and performer who earned their MFA from the University of Houston. Darnell’s work lives at the intersection of art and wellness, which is apparent in their films, 13^th & Republic and REST. Recent direction and choreography credits include King James at Know Theatre Cincinnati, Your Neighbor with Ghostlight Stage Company, Fat Ham at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Fiona: The Musical at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Miami University, The Prom at Xavier University, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill at The Carnegie Performing Arts Center, and the world premiere of T-Room…The Musical at Endstation Theatre Company. Darnell is also the host of PBS’s Long Story Short. Since 2020, Darnell has been a professor at Northern Kentucky University teaching in the School of the Arts. Darnell is on the boards of Treehouse Cincinnati, Stop the Stigma Productions, Pones, and Caracole. Like James Baldwin said, “Great art can only be created out of love”.

TAMARA is a Resident Artist at The Human Race Theatre Company. Favorite designs include Gloria: A Life!, Banned from Baseball, Family Ties, Crowns, Becky’s New Car, and Ethel Waters: His Eye Is On the Sparrow. She has also designed ten productions for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s Educational Touring Company. Recent work includes the Off-Broadway world premiere of The Memory Exam. Tammy’s designs have been showcased nationally and internationally, including at World Stage Design, the USA-USITT Prague Quadrennial Digital Exhibit, and on PBS. She is the Professor of Scenic Design at West Virginia University, a member of USA Local 829, and serves as Treasurer for USITT. Tammy also co-authored The Fake Food Cookbook series. Visit www.tammyhonesty.com.

Mike Gaynor is the Founder and CEO of Gaynor Enterprises, a Cincinnati-based audio-visual production company specializing in live events, corporate productions, concerts, and creative media services. With more than 16 years of experience in the AV industry, Mike has built a reputation for delivering high-quality production solutions that combine technical expertise, creative vision, and exceptional client service. As a Lighting Director, Designer, AV Technician, and Production Professional, Mike has contributed to events serving audiences of more than 100,000 people and has completed over 75 productions across corporate, theatrical, and live entertainment environments. His experience spans lighting design and programming, live event production, broadcast camera operation, crew management, and technical troubleshooting.

Kelsey Gallagher is a lighting designer originally from Overland Park, Kansas. In her art, she values communication and collaboration most of all and has worked with theatre artists, visual artists, digital artists, animators, musicians, and dancers. Her previous work with The Human Race Theatre includes, Hay Fever, Seasonal Shorts and The Comeuppance. She is currently the Exhibit Lighting Designer for The National Museum of the United States Air Force.

DARYL is a professor emeritus of theatre and dance in the School of the Arts, Theatre and Dance Program at Northern Kentucky University. He is a 60-year veteran of traditional, experimental, educational, and applied theatre. He has studied and worked throughout North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. He has received multiple awards for outstanding costume designs throughout the country. Canada’s Royal British Columbia Museum has exhibited his costumes. Daryl experiences all creative collaborations as sustained communion with the Master Creator.

Derek A. Graham (He, Him, His) is a sound designer, composer, and audio engineer based in North Carolina and excited to collaborate with HRTC for the first time! His work in sound design includes Othello; A Soldier’s Play; Fat Ham (Cincinnati Shakespeare Company); Fat Ham; What the Constitution Means to Me (Cleveland Play House); Sankofa: An Epic Adventure (Playhouse Square Education Series); You Can’t Take It With You; Fat Ham; They Do Not Know Harlem (PlayMakers Repertory Company). www.dgsound.net

Sarah has worked both on stage and off in Dayton and surrounding areas for over 25 years. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Dayton and a Drama Diploma from The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Sarah’s areas of specialty in props include puppets, paper goods, and historical artifacts. In addition to working as Properties Designer at The Human Race Theatre Company since 2021, she has worked with Zoot Theatre Co, Sinclair Community College, The University of Dayton, Central State University, Dayton Theatre Guild, The Dayton Playhouse, and Town Hall Theatre. Sarah is proud to be part of the vibrant arts community that Dayton has to offer, and excited to be one of HRTC’s newest Resident Artists.

E. Carr is currently working as an intimacy choreographer, physical theatre practitioner, and movement/kinesics consultant out of Cincinnati, OH. She has a BFA in Acting from NYU-Tisch, an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship from NKU, and is currently working on her MS in Organizational Psychology from University of Hartford. She has been working as an Intimacy Choreographer/Coordinator (IC) for the past 8+yrs with regional theatre companies such as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Falcon Theatre, Know Theatre, and many others. Her work as an IC can also be seen in the recently released filmsThe Bikeridersand Wildcat. Her passion is unlocking the physical narrative for individuals and empowering those in collectives to work towards a common goal. She is also the co-founder of Solasta Theatre Lab, a theatre company out in Cincinnati, OH, that focuses on experimental storytelling. Additional information: www.erincarr.com